Should museum entry be free?
Cathy Chan, 16, CCC Kei Chi Secondary School
Visiting museums is a relaxing and enjoyable way to enhance one's knowledge. To promote this habit, some have suggested that admission should be free. I strongly oppose this because I doubt it would be feasible or effective. It might also jeopardise the development of museums.
To begin with, free entry could make it hard to keep museums open. Running a museum costs a fortune, including the cost of security, preservation and salaries.
Free entry also could limit the development of museums. Without the revenue from entry fees, museums would not have enough money to collect and preserve cultural objects and hold extra exhibitions of rare pieces.
What's more, I doubt if free admission would boost the number of visitors.
The main reason why people do not visit museums is their lack of interest. They prefer to go shopping or watch movies than spend a day with an old gramophone or bridal sedan chair. People are just not that interested in history and culture. Even if admission was free, it might not make a big difference in attendance numbers.
Also, entry fees are already very low, around HK$10. Most people can afford it, but many choose not to go.
Museums should attract more visitors through promotion and education. Doing away with entry fees would only affect their development.
Jessica Leung, 16, Our Lady of the Rosary College
Museums are not very popular in Hong Kong. But I think they are of great value.
Admission to most Hong Kong museums is not free except for Wednesdays. I think admission should be free all the time.
First, I would like to talk about the educational value of museums. Museums are not just places to see exhibitions but also to learn about many things, including culture and history. Many schools bring their students to museums to teach them things. The students can gain a better understanding of different topics and their hometown. They can also enhance their knowledge. This is priceless.
Charging admission would restrict access to museums.
Some poor families don't have extra money to spend on this activity. Children from these families have few chances to go to a museum. This is unfair and a loss to society.
The International Council of Museums says museums should be 'permanent institutions in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquire, conserve, research, communicate and exhibit the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment, for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment'.
This statement shows that museums are not run for the purpose for making a profit. They are places where we can get cultural and historic information, and they should be free and non-profit making.
In conclusion, museum entry should be free so that everyone can visit and learn from these cultural assets.
